Baby, You Can Drive My Car – High Tech on the Highway

Back in the day when Joan Crawford and Bette Davis were battling it out in Photoplay magazine, the idea of stepping into an automatic elevator was preposterous. What, no smartly dressed elevator operator at the controls to safely zoom us up to the penthouse and then back down?

Joan and Bette eventually patched things up, and we got used to pushing a button and letting the machine do the rest. So why do we hesitate to let our cars drive us around?

Savvy car manufacturers have been coaxing us for years into giving up vehicular control with such nifty inventions as cruise control, parking assist, automatic braking and lane guidance. Now they’re upping the ante. Here are some of the players.

Parts and service

Tesla—According to Elon Musk, CEO, by the end of this year a driverless Tesla will travel from Los Angeles to New York City. He predicts that within two years passengers will be able to nap all the way.

BMW & Intel — BMW has partnered with Intel and Mobileye to put a fleet of 40 self-driving BMWs on the road by the end of 2017. BMW supplies the vehicles, Intel supplies the ‘brains’ and Mobileye supplies the ‘vision’ technology.

Audi & Nvidia — Audi and chipmaker Nvidia have vehicles with technology for driver assistance such as managing road conditions. By 2020, they’ll launch their own driverless cars.

Speed Bumps: What’s up ahead?

If the rise in the use of autonomous vehicles leads to a drop in automobile accidents, insurance rates could drop too.

But, given the complexity and cost of repairing complicated vehicles, car insurance rates could rise.

In the case of an accident, liability may shift from drivers to car companies if the cause is deemed to be the vehicle’s software.

If the insurance costs increase for car manufacturers, that cost will be borne by consumers through higher prices.

Janine is a freelance writer with more than 15 years of experience as a corporate communicator for Canadian blue-chip companies. Janine has been a staff writer with Golden Girl Finance since its inception.

Golden Girl Finance is a leader in financial content for Canadian women. We cover all aspects of women’s financial lives—from saving and investing to estate planning and philanthropy.
At Golden Girl Finance our goal is to engage, educate and empower women of all ages to take charge of their finances to lead fulfilling lives.
We do not invest on behalf of our readers, nor do we offer personal financial advice.
Our content is created by accomplished women with backgrounds in wealth management, education, financial literacy, and women’s consumer publishing.